New York Rangers left wing Rick Nash (61) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the New Jersey Devils during the second period. / Ed Mulholland, USA TODAY Sports

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK - Of their seven goals scored Sunday afternoon, the New York Rangers were most proud of the second.

It came when they were down 3-1 late in the first period, an early deficit amid difficult conditions at Yankee Stadium's first outdoor hockey game.

Less than a minute after the Devils jumped out to that (at the time) commanding two-goal lead, Rangers defenseman Marc Staal pushed the puck past New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur's pads to pull within one.

"We were only down one going into the second, and from there, we just took off," said Rangers left wing Carl Hagelin, who scored the fifth goal. "We started playing a little smarter, north-south a little bit more and scored four big goals."

New York's four second-period goals ultimately knocked Brodeur out of the game and all but sealed the 7-3 victory in front of 50,105 fans on a chilly afternoon. Snow flurries fell, but only during that auspicious second period, prompting Hagelin to suggest that it helped the Rangers.

"The snow came down, we started scoring," he said, smiling.

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist did not allow another goal after the first period, tallying 22 saves on the day.

"I'm just happy I recovered and as a team we recovered after that start," Lundqvist said. "We talked about it the other day that this is such a special game. You want to think back at this game as a great memory, and the only way to have a great memory is you have to win the game."

Much had been made about the decision to start Brodeur Sunday. Before the faceoff, Devils coach Peter DeBoer had called it "an easy decision" and the "right thing to do," citing all that Brodeur had done for the franchise over the past 20 years.

Outdoor games celebrate the sport, and DeBoer chose to celebrate a legendary player instead of playing the hot hand (Cory Schneider), a decision made with the heart despite what was at stake in terms of conference standings.

Brodeur was welcomed with cheers and applause when he led the Devils out of the Yankees' dugout, but that's where the celebration ended. Brodeur gave up six goals â?? including three on three consecutive shots â?? and was pulled after the second period.

Both Brodeur and DeBoer said they had a conversation and mutually agreed that he should come out and give Schneider a chance to play in that environment. It marked the first time the Devils made an in-game goaltending change this season.

"It wasn't working for him or our group the way it was," DeBoer said. "I give him credit for that. It made sense, too."

Both blamed bad luck and bad breaks for many of the Rangers goals, some of which deflected off players or took weird bounces.

"Some of the goals they scored on, they didn't even shoot on net," Brodeur said. "It went off of them or off of our guys. Tough break, tough game to be a part of. You're looking forward to these types of events. When you have a result like that, it's not fun."

The Rangers said they were pleased with how they got behind the Devils' defensemen.

"Any time you can get that many odd-man rushes against the Devils, it's a surprise," Hagelin said.

Schneider (who had gone 5-1-2 with a 0.96 goals-against average in his previous eight starts) took over at the start of the third period. He allowed a goal on a Derek Stepan penalty shot, but no more damage after that.

Sunday's game was delayed a little more than an hour because of glare from the sun. Citing concerns for player safety, NHL officials pushed the faceoff back until the stadium was covered by clouds. Players on both sides complained about being out of rhythm because of the delay and the cold (24.9 degrees at game time).